Foreign media said the urbanization of Chinese suicide rate to the world's lowest | China suicide rates _ news

Beijing, July 4, United Kingdom the Economist magazine recently published an article of the coming back from the edge (Back from the edge), in recent years, China's suicide rate has fallen to the lowest in the world.

Article said that 90 of the last century, China was one of the highest suicide rates in the world, was surprisingly high rate of suicide among young rural women. According to a 2002 United Kingdom medical journal the Lancet, 1995-1999, among every 100,000 Chinese were 23.2 average annual suicide. This year, the University of Hong Kong released report shows that from 2009 to 2011, this figure dropped to 9.8.

Report co-author, Director of the suicide prevention Center at the University of Hong Kong Professor Paul s.f. Yip said, the suicide rate of any country have not had such a fast decline. Moreover, experts said, China still does not significantly improve mental health services, nor to reduce the suicide rate for advocacy cases, made this achievement. Registered the largest decline in suicide rate among rural women aged under 35, seems to have been 90%. In the Lancet report in 2002, this group of 37.8 suicides per 100,000 people, but in a new report, only slightly more than 3 people per 100,000 people commit suicide.

Suicide rate is not only a group, suicide rate in China's urban population is also in decline. Report of the University of Hong Kong shows that from 2002 to 2011, the number suicide per 100,000 population dropped to 5.3, a decline of 59%. Reported that "more than one research report, official data showed that in the long term, the suicide rate among all groups showed a downward trend, whether in rural or urban areas, or men or women of any age. "Most brief explanation is that despite the pollution, food security and housing prices are a concern, but the standard of living and the overall satisfaction increase of urban life. Experts also believe that rural family of "fission" also reduces suicidal family conflicts.

Article said that two social forces prompted the decline in suicide rates: migration and urban middle class rise. To work in the city, many young women "way out", making them able to escape pressure from the parents, mother-in-law of unhappy marriages, caustic and other poor rural life bound. Also keep them away from rural areas in the most "simple" methods of suicide: drank pesticide. This rural suicides accounted for nearly 60%, but usually impulsive move. In addition, the decreased toxicity of pesticides is one of the reasons.

Ye Zhaohui team's explanation of reasons for the decline in suicide rates in China seemed contrary to prevailing theories. France 19th century sociologist Emile · Durkheim (Emile Durkheim) theorized: "urbanization, modernization and social and economic progress will aggravate the social estrangement and high suicide rates. "Admittedly, some data consistent with Durkheim's theory is that in developed countries. Since 2008, the average number of suicides per 100,000 people in the world has grown from 11.6 to 14. The neighbor of China Korea and Japan – have higher suicide rates in 2012, Korea data per 28.1, Japan more than 21. China's data seem to not be able to experience, but maybe it is just beginning to rethink this theory.

(Original title: foreign media say fallen urbanization in China suicide rates fell to the lowest in the world)

(Edit: SN098)
18:01 on July 04, 2014 China News Network